Many conventional illumination systems for vehicles such as bicycles do not effectively or sufficiently communicate information to others (e.g., other motorists on a road) about the condition or state of operation of the vehicle.
Riding at night can be a daunting and dangerous task and is an issue that many bike commuters contend with on a daily basis. Existing bicycle lighting systems suffer from a number of deficiencies. For example, one common bicycle lighting paradigm is to utilize a white headlight on a front of the bicycle and a red taillight on a rear of the bicycle. However, this may not be the most effective means of increasing the visibility of bikers to motorists. In particular, front and rear lights typically do little to identify and distinguish a biker from other ambiguous points of light in the roadway, such as streetlights, signs, and the like. In many cases, the range and intensity of these lights may be insufficient to catch the attention of a motorist, especially one who is not paying enough attention to his environment. Also, existing lighting systems typically do not operate effectively to identify a bicycle as a bicycle (i.e., instead of another type of vehicle such as another car). In any event, existing lighting systems and devices do not provide sufficient information to a motorist as to the state of operation of the vehicle, such as whether the biker is speeding up or slowing down, for example.
Other issues associated with bicycle lighting and visibility fall on the part of the biker. For example, if the biker fails to turn on the lighting system prior to riding the bicycle, then the lighting system obviously does not provide any advantages to the biker or others near the bicycle. In another example, a rider is unlikely to notice that the tail light is not activated, which leaves the rider potentially at risk for an entanglement with another person or other vehicle.
Therefore, enhanced techniques, strategies, and devices are needed that can effectively communicate the status of a vehicle (e.g., a bicycle) and/or its operator to others during use of the vehicle. For example, having recognized the above-mentioned problems, the inventors have observed that there remains a need for a bicycle illumination system that can provide an enhanced level of integrity and utility in providing useful information to other vehicle operators in the vicinity of a bicycle in order to promote safety for the biker and others as well. There is also a need for a lighting system and associated visual effects that can effectively identify a vehicle as having the form and shape of a bicycle (i.e., instead of another type of vehicle such as another car).
It should be noted that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the various embodiments described herein. The figures do not necessarily describe every aspect of the teachings disclosed herein and do not limit the scope of the claims.